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Nokia Aims 1100, 1600, At Growing Africa Market
By David Utter
Expert Author
Article Date: 2005-06-03
The Finnish handset maker has announced two low-cost phones offering basic functionality for the market.
Yesterday's press conference in Nairobi, Kenya, brought out the announcement from Nokia. The two phones, one offering an inverted black and white screen, the other color, will be available in the fall.
Nokia expects to see 100 million mobile phone subscribers by year's end. But to get there, the company says, the government needs to license more cellular phone operators.
Without more entrants to the market, existing providers enjoy a near-monopoly that keeps prices high and buyers out. Nokia needs a substantial pool of buyers to make their efforts profitable, and to fuel the debut of newer and more advanced handsets in Africa.
Further, a Nokia spokesperson at the press conference called upon the government to lessen the 16 percent value added tax placed on airtime.
Nokia also predicts that in four years the number of mobile phone users in Africa will grow to 200 million.
About the Author:
David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.
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